Japan to begin extracting deep-sea rare earths next year

Good news! Rare earth metals are not rare! China has only quasi monopolized the processing of rare earth metals.

"Japan will extract rare earth minerals from an offshore deposit in a first-of-its-kind pilot project that will begin January next year, Nikkei has learned.

The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) will station the Chikyu, a deep-sea scientific drilling vessel, 100 to 150 kilometers from the coast of Minami-Torishima Island, a coral atoll about 1,950 km southeast of Tokyo. ..."

Japan to begin extracting deep-sea rare earths next year - Nikkei Asia "First-of-its-kind project to tap world's 3rd-largest reserve of rare earth minerals"

The exploration vessel Chikyu will lower a pipe 5,500 meters below the ocean's surface to extract rare earths.